Running Blindly
by EmerySparks
Summary: Lina is a sky child, but with unusual abilities. She is brought to Skypiea in hope of a normal life, yet her mother is now gone and an enemy rises. Because of this she is left with her cousin Conis, uncle Pagaya and the former God. Lina trains to become strong so she can defeat the new 'God', that is until a promising group of people arrive. Maybe there's hope for her after all. OC


AN; _Hullo! This is my first story on FanFiction, and I'm pretty confident in my ability and plot. This story had evolved from a plot bunny that attacked me during the Water 7 arc, but have been putting it off since then. I decided recently that I would put things into action and write it up. There are bound to be errors, as I have no Beta and am not perfect - much to my disappointment :P It's a classic OC-joins-the-Strawhats-story.  
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_The first couple of chapters will probably be revolved around the Oc's life before the Strawhats come to Skypiea. Just a heads up. Warning, there will be violence, swearing and possible lack of comedy. That's only because I really suck at being funny. It's rated T just in case. Centered around the OC.  
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_If you haven't reached this far into the manga/anime than you probably shouldn't read. Major spoilers, you know.  
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_ So let's get the show on the road, eh? _

Disclaimer; **I don't own _One Piece_. I don't own the characters, the plot, the cities/countries, or anything. I own Victore, and Lina. All the pictures I use for this story are drawn by me. And the little plots that I might add throughout the story. So pretty much everything that's not anything in relation to _One Piece_.**

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"_It is during our _

_darkest moments _

_that we must focus _

_to see the light_."

- Aristotle Onassis

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Chapter 1;

Night had fallen by the time that a golden haired, pale eyed woman stumbled upon the beach shore. Her clothing was torn in several places, as was the backpack upon her shoulders, and the wings on her back were larger than the normal Skypiean size. It was odd, but she only wore a single sandal on her right foot. The other must have been left somewhere else. The woman's hair was a tangled mess, and the hair antenna on her head were bent at a painfully sharp angle. There were blood splatters all across her clothing, and some of it clung to her hair causing it to clump.

The woman started to breathe heavily, and her eyes glazed as her eyelids flickered almost sleepily. She gripped a bundle tighter to her prominent chest unconsciously, smearing the white cloth as blood soaked up the woman's blue clothing material. She warily looked around, eying every tree and object with equal suspicion. With a small sigh, the woman relaxed slightly and stumbled forward as the cloud seas rolled soundlessly around her slightly swollen ankles. She knew that she had little time to spare, and if she thought right... Someone was quickly approaching. Her mind sight had yet to fail her.

That was not a good sign.

Quickening her pace, the woman continued her voyage to where she believed she would finally have a chance be safe. Her movements were stiff from the pain that flared through her body, and her left leg limped slightly. She suddenly stopped moving as the bundle in her arms wiggled, and a soft but mumbled whisper came from within. The woman licked her full lips before dropping to her knees and carefully placed the bundle upon the ground. She slowly pulled on the cloth and it fell to the ground with a quiet rustle.

There stood a little girl who was rubbing her eyes tiredly. The girl shared many resemblances as the woman in front of her. Curly blonde hair fell down her back and wide baby blue eyes stared up at the woman with confusion written within them. Despite the size difference between the two, the girl looked about ten or eleven. Wrinkled clothes adorned her body, though she wore no shoes on her feet. "Ne.. Mama.." She asked hesitantly, her hand falling to her side.

"Sh.." The mother said, pressing a finger to the girl's lips. "Quiet." The elder gave the girl a meaningful, yet somewhat desperate look. The two seemed to exchange a silent conversation, as the girl nodded in acknowledgment. The mother grasped the younger hand before standing to her full height. She was nearly double the size of the child, whose forehead reached the woman's hips.

Once again on the move, the wild haired woman started up the beach side and a little cabin came to view. With renewed hope, the woman race up the hill and the little girl was practically hanging onto her mothers hand as her body waved in the air. A small smiled graced the woman's lips as she approached the cabin. It wasn't much; just a small wooden build hut that looked comfortable to live in. Beside the small building was a small patch of land that looked as if it was recently plowed.

"Lina.. Dear." The mother said quietly, turning to look down at the girl. "We are to meet a friend of mine, be kind." The daughter nodded, looking at the door with interest. What was behind the shabby door? How long had the mother known this person? Many questions ran through her mind, but she stayed silent. That's what her mother had told her to do. There were dangerous people around, sometimes the spoken word could cause consequences that the girl dread to think about.

Without any hesitation what-so ever, the mother raised a large hand to the door and knocked. The two stood there hand in hand for a few moments before the mother knocked again. There was shuffling from inside, and the unmistakable sound of a doorknob being turned cascaded into their sharp ears. The little girls wings fluttered nervously, not one to make friends or companions easily.

The door opened and the girl furrowed her eyebrows. It was an old man. The girl cocked her head to the side in wonder. Wasn't this man... too old to be a friend? That was odd. She had thought that it might be her father, or perhaps an aunt or uncle. She didn't know if she had any, but it was nice to dream about. Yet is was an old man? He could be her grandfather, but the girl doubted that. Her mother barely spoke of her relations, only that it had been best that she leave the town she had once lived in. Now the girls curiosity towards the man increased by double. Why would her mother want to be 'friends' with an old man?

"Ah!" The old man exclaimed, clasping his hands together. He looked surprised, also a bit worried as he inspected the woman's injured body. The girl flicked her eyes towards her mother, pondering about why the man was wearing a suit of armor. She decided that he was weird right then and there. "Victore!" The man said, as if in wonder. "It's been ages. Come in and let's have something to drink." His wizened eyes trailed down to the girl who grasped the woman's hand tightly, though her eyes stared defiantly into his own ones.

Her mother smiled fully. Which was odd in the girl's opinion. Her mother didn't smile much, but she couldn't blame her. After all, everything was pretty screwed up at that moment. "Thank you.." The mother's voice whispered, and the little girl switched her stare to the woman. Her mother almost sounded as if her voice were bells, like a real angel.

The two were then lead inside by the old man, though the mother almost didn't fit through the door and had to duck. The girl looked around the spacious cabin, awed by how much room there was even though the outside was tiny. Was it even possible for that to happen? Physics shouldn't allow it, but the girl was smart enough to realize that the science she had read in books wasn't very reliable in real life.

The three were then seated at a table with a glass of pumpkin juice for each one of them, the mother tossing her bag to the side. "Care to tell me why you have come to Skypiea after all these years, Victore?" The old man asked kindly, "Not to intrude, but for the safely of the realm I must insist."

The mother, Victore, nodded solemnly. "I.. Have come to warn you." The mother stared at the table, refusing to look up at the old man across from her. The girl took an experimental sip of the new juice, and found it relatively appeasing, so she took another. "It is not good news."

The girl watched as the old man's face turned stormy, but he didn't seem to be mad at her mother. She knew enough to know that he must be mad at the bad guy- the one her mama had been running from for awhile. Her mother wouldn't do anything to upset this old man. He was a friend, and the girl was sure that you don't upset friends. She raised the class to her lips and took a slow sip, her eyes watching the two adults stare into nothing as they thought. When no one spoke for a few moments the girl decided to speak up.

"The Big-Earred bad-guy is coming." The girl set her glass on the table, and her face twisted into a serious face. She was certain that serious faces were not meant for kids, but she was almost a teenager and the situation called for it. They were in serious business. "He makes things blow up."

Victore pat the daughters head as the old man regarded the girl with interest. "And who might you be?"

The girl pursed her lips at him as her attitude showed. "Isn't it supposed to be proper to say your name before asking?" Suddenly the patting hand became a slapping hand as the mother smacked the back of her head softly.

"Lina! Don't speak to your elders that way."

"So I can speak that way to those younger to me?" The girl widened her eyes to look innocent, but her mother knew her better than to fall for the cliche trick.

"No. Be nice." Was the short replay.

The old man then began to laugh, and he clutched his stomach as his voice echoed through the room. "So this is what your kin is like, Victore. It's nice to see your daughter be so jubilant." He ceased his laughter as he wiped a stray tear from his face, which confused the girl. She didn't think it was funny. There was a raving mad murderer on the loose, and he was laughing? The girl set a sour look on her face, clearly not how she expected the news to be received. She had imagined long 'whaaaaaaaats?' and freaking out. But he was laughing because of something as silly as their personalities.

"I am Gan Fall." The old man said, smiling at her. "God of Skypiea."

It took a few moments to register this.

"Whaaat?" The girl exclaimed, jumping out of her chair and slamming her hands on the surface of the table as sparkles appeared around her face. "Your a god?" She was in awe. Sparkles continued to twinkle around her head as she wondered what kind of cool powers he had. If he was a god he should be really powerful, right? Maybe he could go up against Big-Ear! "Whoa! So cool!" No wonder he was her mothers friend! He was a god. Wasn't her mom getting cooler by the second?

Gan Fall laughed at the girls reaction, "Your turn missy."

"I'm Catalina." The girl said, recovering from her shock and amazement. "But I'm mostly called Lina." She turned to look at her mother, who was looking as serious as ever. "Ne, Mama, do you think these guys can stop him?"

There was a tense silence. Both Gan Fall and Lina stared at the large woman, who sat staring at the table. As seconds went by, the girls shoulders started to sag. She knew what was coming, as it had before.

"No." Came the blunt reply.

"No?" Lina echoed, almost not comprehending as she fell into the wooden chair. "But.. he's a god. He could still stand a chance, right?"

The mother sat there silently once more, though this time her eyebrows were furrowed in a way that told the girl that her mother was thinking hard. Raising her eyes to look at Gan Fall she spoke once more.. "There is a... slim ... chance.."

"See!" Lina suddenly erupted cheerfully, "I knew it!"

"Don't interrupt your elders." Her mother seemed to scold automatically. The girl brought a hand to her lips and pretended to zip them shut. "But, Gan Fall, it is extremely unlikely that it will even happen."

The old man nodded mutely, before asking, "What might be the problem?"

The girl decided to take it within her own hands to explain to him. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and said, "There's a really powerful man who destroyed a powerful country. But not only did he destroy the people or the building, as if that was enough for him, he also destroyed the whole island. Not a scrap left. This was about a year ago though."

Her mother nodded and she rubbed her collarbone slowly. "He's coming here, Gan Fall." She stared at him seriously, and said, "Just think- with that power what do you think he could do to us? He destroyed Bilka because it annoyed him. We are next in his line of islands, and once he destroys us he'll go to the next one and then the next. This is just a small group of islands that will be added to his list of murders." She paused as her voice started to quiver with what Lina couldn't tell whether it was fear or anger. Probably both.

"Why do you belittle us, Victore?" The old man asked. "You know our troops are strong, we are even on par with the Shandians as we are protecting the Upper Yard from harm."

The woman blinked at the man. "You still haven't made up with them?" Disbelieve was clear as it laced through her voice. "Gan Fall, how long must you wait? It's been over three-hundred and seventy-five years! Most don't even know what the conflict was about, let alone know what they are fighting for. You'll surely fall straight into his palms, now."

"It's been nearly three-hundred and ninety-four years." Lina stated as she secretly boasted her math skills.

"We have tried and failed, yet we groups have yet to compromise." Gan Fall said sadly, looking rather pitiful. "It would be a great feat to join and work together. But some cannot forgive the past, and others are just in need of blood." He shook his head sadly and gripped his cup tightly.

"Have you tried apologizing?" Lina asked curiously. That's what her mother had told her to do when she did something wrong, so why couldn't he?

"Sometimes," Her mother said, "The pride of a man can cloud a persons mind. Remember that." The girl nodded quickly, adding that to her mental list of things her mother said. Though she wondered if it was the same if a woman had lots of pride. "Without the help of the Shandians Skypiea will fall to ruin, much like Bilka. Keep that in mind, and hopefully you can mend the wound that has separated you two groups."

Gan Fall nodded in agreement. "If it will help protect us all, then I will put all of my willpower into this cause."

Victore suddenly stood up then while setting her untouched cup on the table and said in a tight voice, "We must leave now. I will be back, Gan Fall, to further our talk."

"Are you off to visit Pagaya and Conis?"

"Yes." Her mother replied shortly, and Lina found this as a sign towards her mother's impatience. She would want to leave soon, so the girl gulped down her juice and placed the cup on the table delicately. Because her mother wanted to speak to Gan Fall alone Lina knew that her mother was probably going to speak about what the Big-Eared man would do. It was a sensitive subject for the mother, and whenever it came up Lina was kicked out of the room or the subject would be postponed. The girl had no idea why her mother found this subject as forbidden, it just was.

Lina wasn't one to question her mother.

After a moment of thought, the girl stood up and pushed her chair into the table neatly. Gan Fall laughed softly and pleasantly asked, "Are you going to leave her there?"

Lina blinked in confusion, tilting her head to the side and stared at her mother who had become stiff. A hand gripped the back of the chair, causing the wood to moan from the intense pressure. Her mother licked her lips - a nervous trait that both mother and daughter had - and opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. A few more attempts took place before her mother gave up and looked up almost sheepishly.

"I know you too well for you to simply fool me." Gan Fall sighed, standing up as well and walked over to the taller woman and placed a hand on her back. "What makes you think that she will be safe here? I know that being heroic is what you do, but think about what could happen in the end if things turn badly."

The girl suddenly knew they were talking about her. She had only thought that it would be funny if they had been speaking of her - then she realized that it would make sense. It was much like when her and her mother were in Bilka. Her mother was going to leave her behind. Again. Sucking on the corner of her bottom lip, the girl stared wide-eyed at both of the adults.

"To inform you.." Her mother said slowly, before placing a hand on the girls shoulder. A habit of the mother that reassured her that her 'baby' was okay. "Lina is probably the only person here who would survive an attack from that man."

With that the mother stepped away from the old man and guided her daughter to the door. "Oh. Are we leaving?" Lina asked awkwardly. The conversation was getting a bit too weird for her, and she felt like she was snooping in on their conversation.

"Yes, you are," Gan Fall suddenly said, then said with a superior tone that the girl had once doubted he even had, "but your mother is staying here."

"What?" Victore questioned sounding slightly defensive.

"Your injured." He poked a spot on her chest and the tall woman hissed as pain flushed her face. Her knees shook. Lina stared at her mother with her eyebrows furrowed. When had her mother gotten hurt? She couldn't recall any events that could cause it, and she suddenly felt terrible. She hadn't even noticed her mothers pain or how the older woman's hand would drift to the covered wound every once in awhile. She hadn't noticed the blood, or the torn clothes. Wow. She was such a great daughter.

"I will not allow an injured woman to stroll around my land when she can barely walk."

"But I can't let Lina -"

"I will take her." He reassured her. "You stay here and rest. Once I come back we can have this talk concerning the danger that is approaching us."

Her mother looked as if she was about to disagree and speak up. Lina decided to smooth things over. Victore was injured, so it would only make sense for her to stay and heal up. "It's okay Mama." She sang, hands hugging her mothers arm as she stared up. She grinned brightly when her mother met her gaze with a worried look on her face. "No need to be uneasy! I don't know where we are going, but I'm sure that the old man can get me there safely." Lina patted her mothers hand and added, "You heal up so you can help protect these people!"

And that ended her mother's argument. With a defeated sigh, Victore staggered her way over to the bed in the far corner. Lina smiled, feeling very victorious. Gan Fall placed a hand on her small shoulder, like her mother had, and turned her to face the door. There was a grunt behind them as the mother collapsed on the bed, and she curled up into a ball and stared at the two people mournfully.

The blonde child paused at the door and stood there for a couple seconds even as the old man tried to push her forward. She looked over her shoulder and stared at the woman who had been in her life for almost twelve years. Lina smiled sweetly at her mother and says, "It's okay, Mom." It was the first time Lina had called her anything but 'mama'. She wanted to show her mother that she was growing up. "I'll see you later." She gave her mother another smile, which was returned halfheartedly.

After all, they both knew they wouldn't see each other for a very long time. If ever.

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AN; _There you have it, folks. This story begins a few months before Enel (Ener/Eneru) comes to Skypiea and takes it over. Victore's and Lina's past will unravel as the story goes along. _

_So, review/favourite/alert to tell me that you are interested in this story. I'll probably be able to post once every week or two, now that it's summer, but there may be times that it takes awhile to post. Just a fair warning.  
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_Sayonara, and have a great day (:  
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